Imam Reza (A) reportedly said: “A grave and bloody upheaval will occur, erasing all ties of kinship and friendship. This will be the time when the Shiites lose the last of my descendants, following the concealment of the final Imam. The heavens and earth will mourn him, and all who are sad and oppressed will grieve his absence.” He then added: “May I be sacrificed for the one whose name will match my grandfather’s (the Messenger of Allah)—the one who will resemble me and Musa ibn Imran (A)! They will wear a vestment of light, radiating holiness. Many faithful men and women will long for the care of spring water, despairing of his arrival until suddenly they hear a voice that transcends distance“
In today’s world, multiple crises are brewing, each potent enough to cause a disaster on the scale of World War II. The ecological crisis is alarming: nature is being destroyed at an exponential rate, and humanity is fast approaching a point where clean water and air may become scarce. The depletion of non-renewable resources, particularly oil and gas, is intensifying, leading to increased conflicts over their control. The economic debt bubble, which has become the foundation of the modern economy, threatens to collapse, potentially causing widespread starvation in countries that were once considered prosperous. Moral decay is also pervasive, with a crisis of family values and general ethical erosion. Finally, human nature itself is under threat, as biology, genetics, and information systems are increasingly manipulated.
It appears we are witnessing the twilight years of the post-World War II era of prosperity. The Western world, having abandoned natural order in favor of an artificial technological utopia, is hurtling towards a catastrophic collapse. This collapse is the culmination of multiple interconnected crises.
What modern society hails as “progress” is, in reality, a gradual degradation of humanity. Language is simplifying, high culture and complex thought are disappearing. Many people today struggle to comprehend the works of the past and exhibit behavior driven by basic instincts. For example, a student from a German school at the end of the 19th century would speak multiple languages and be familiar with the original works of classical authors. Contrastingly, a modern German student is often raised on television shows, speaks a hybrid of German and English, and finds it challenging to answer even basic questions from American-style tests.
Many aspects of modern society resemble primitive shamanism, with its collective dances, ecstatic experiences at concerts and sporting events, and rhythmic music that seems to disable logical thought and conscious control. This is akin to shamanic rituals, and we witness a similar process of dehumanization, stripping away the essence of humanity, as in ancient occult civilizations.
This mental decline is accompanied by physical degeneration. In so-called “developed” countries, nearly half of young men suffer from various sexual dysfunctions. By the age of fifty, many modern individuals carry a burden of illnesses ranging from allergies and obesity to endocrine disorders, arthritis, and cancer. The pharmaceutical industry offers medications that prolong life but often introduce new health problems. Consequently, modern existence becomes a slow, degenerative process lasting decades until death.
One of the most insidious deceptions of contemporary culture is the myth that people used to live only 30 years but now, thanks to scientific advancements, the average lifespan has extended to 60 or 70. The origin of these fantastical figures is unclear. Historical records reveal that many famous figures from antiquity lived well into their seventies and eighties. Pericles lived to 68, Sophocles to 90, Xenophanes to 92, Pythagoras around 80, Plato to 81, Archimedes about 75, and Socrates to 70, dying from poisoning. This was considered normal life expectancy at the time. Similarly, during the early Islamic period, Arabs often lived to 80-90 years, with many continuing to fight and contribute until their late years. For example, Muslim ibn Awsjah fought in Karbala at 90, and Ammar ibn Yasir was killed in the Battle of Siffin at 87, still wielding a sword. These individuals enjoyed levels of health unimaginable by modern standards, thanks to their natural environment, different air and water, and lifestyle.
Before the Russian Revolution, the age of 60 was not considered old, and centenarians were common in rural areas. This suggests that the notion of a shorter lifespan in previous epochs is a deception. Yes, there were periods of high mortality, such as during the plague in the Middle Ages, but these were exceptions rather than the rule.
The abandonment of natural living has led to the erosion of the very essence of modern humanity. Strength, masculinity, and pride have diminished, replaced by an ambiguous “third sex” lacking distinct secondary sexual characteristics. The physical always reflects the spiritual; a degenerate person’s appearance will betray their inner state. Women are not spared either. Medical research shows a rising level of testosterone in women, making them more masculine, less attractive, and less feminine. Surprising statistics reveal that in Russia and the West, the number of husbands subjected to domestic violence is increasing. Many families now face systematic abuse, with husbands seeking help and support centers being established. Instead of the God-given model of humanity, beautifully balanced between male and female, we are witnessing the rise of an androgynous “third sex.”
People often search for straightforward explanations, leading them to believe in grand conspiracies orchestrated by powerful entities like the “global elite,” Freemasonry, or the Trilateral Commission. However, there’s no grand scheme at play. The elites of our time are just as captivated by technology as the rest of us. Unbeknownst to many, the technological paradigm is quietly erasing humanity as a species.
Modern agriculture has left a toxic legacy, with pesticides and other pollutants contaminating water supplies hundreds of meters below the surface. Hormones and medications, released into the environment through human waste, seep into water sources and return to the bodies of others, disrupting hormonal balance, impairing reproductive function, and contributing to cancer and infertility. The long-term effects of gadgets and synthetic chemicals produced by the chemical industry on human health remain largely unexplored.
Some intellectuals mistakenly conflate causes and effects, attributing the decline of humanity to the elite rather than the dominance of technology itself. It’s not homosexuality that has led to the degeneration of society; rather, it’s the broader societal decay that has fostered the acceptance of homosexuality.
Consider Buddhism, which has gained popularity as both a philosophy and a practice. The Dalai Lama, an influential figure in the West, exemplifies this trend. In modern megacities, Christianity is being gradually replaced by Buddhism, not by coincidence. Both Buddhism and the modern world share a tendency to turn away from our natural state, seeking solace in nothingness. Buddhism, in particular, is a form of dualism, viewing the world as a source of suffering that must be transcended. According to Buddhist teachings, reality is an illusion, and enlightenment comes from recognizing this emptiness and merging with it. By dissolving oneself into this void, one attains liberation, or nirvana.
Modern society is drawn to Buddhism because it resonates with the nihilistic void at the core of our technological civilization. Technology has created an artificial world, devoid of life’s natural rhythms. We live in a bubble of man-made constructs, from which there is no escape.
What we’re witnessing today is not just a localized crisis—like an economic downturn or a cultural shift—but a full-blown Crisis of humanity itself. The pinnacle of human development has become its own downfall. We’ve proven unable to control our destiny, reaching for the tree of power only to find it beyond our grasp.
It’s hard for modern people to grasp the severity of our situation. On the surface, it seems like we’re making progress. The media constantly tells us that everything is improving: new discoveries are being made, problems are being solved, and the future looks bright. However, this relentless barrage of positive news masks a grim reality. Our media landscape is a carefully curated world of trivial events, almost exclusively from first-world countries. We’re bombarded with entertainment that often trivializes serious issues, creating an illusion of a thriving society. Meanwhile, the world’s total suffering is greater than ever. Half the world’s population struggles with hunger, and 40 percent lacks access to clean drinking water.
The Imam will emerge when humanity realizes that it cannot solve its problems through technology alone. For now, people still cling to this illusion. We’re like addicts who have become dependent on the constant influx of materialistic science and technology. Initially, it brought a sense of happiness, much like the first doses of a drug. But eventually, we realize that we’re no longer in control. We’re enslaved to technology, and there’s no turning back. Instead of serving us, we now serve technology.
The problems we face cannot be solved through technology. For example, advancements in medicine have reduced mortality rates, leading to an unprecedented population growth, particularly in the developing world. This growth has exacerbated issues like famine, disease, and epidemics, proving that technology has not solved these problems but has instead created new ones.
Consider another example: the dream of automation was once thought to liberate us from labor, allowing us to enjoy a life of leisure. Instead, automation has displaced many workers, leading to widespread unemployment and the rise of a marginalized underclass. These “extra people” produce nothing and consume without contributing to society. They become part of the global slum world, which now comprises up to one-fifth of the population. These individuals are often pushed into criminal activities, contributing to social unrest.
These examples demonstrate that technology has not alleviated our problems but has instead created new and more complex ones. When we intervene in one area, we often inadvertently exacerbate others. The development of genetic engineering, mind-programming techniques, artificial intelligence, and intelligent weapons are all examples of how technology itself has become a threat. These advancements have the potential to disrupt the delicate balance of our society and create even more problems.
It’s clear that we need a different approach to solve humanity’s problems. We need a higher level of thinking that takes into account the complex interplay of variables in our society. The problem is that technology has become an integral part of our lives, and it’s difficult to imagine a world without it. However, it’s important to recognize that technology can also be a source of danger. We must find a way to regulate and control its use before it becomes an unstoppable force.
Therefore, it would be a big mistake to think — as is sometimes done-that the Imam will develop physical knowledge, modern science and technology. This science will be completely bankrupt as a way of knowing the world by then, it will disgrace itself, and people will abandon it just as they once abandoned magic. They will try to get rid of this science and technology based on it, which turns the earth into hell, but they will not be able to do this. Humanity will suffer from global dehydration, pollution, terrible epidemics, mutations and other things caused by man-made civilization. But they, like the inventor of Frankenstein, will not be able to escape from the clutches of their own invention.
And when the Imam comes, he will bring a completely different, pure knowledge based on the secrets of the Qur’an, which will change the whole world. The earth will be filled from end to end with the sacred wisdom of the prophets, compared to which modern science will seem childish and childish babble. Nothing resembling modern technology will remain. But people will be given such opportunities that they will laugh at the science and technology that we currently have.
If we look at the Quranic verses about the civilization of Sulayman, we will see that it was presented as an argument before the magical civilizations of that time. Because in the kingdom of Suleiman there were things that look like magic, but they were given through monotheism, implemented in a completely different paradigm. Similarly, the light of the Imam’s wisdom will close the gates of technological civilization. It will bring knowledge that will become a complete alternative to the scientific and technical knowledge of the modern world, and at the same time open up disproportionately large opportunities.
We said that the peculiarity of the modern world is total nihilism: people no longer believe in anything, all projects and ideologies have gone bankrupt. They are still being replaced by an ersatz “consumerism” — enjoy life, consume more… But soon this simulacrum of meaning will also stop working, because humanity will move into an era when further growth of prosperity will be impossible, even within the framework of the first world countries. The time of consumerism will come to an end. And a scorched field is formed, total blackness. The end of the old man, the end of the Adamic age. The era of the human paradigm left to its own devices will end. Humanity, united by globalism, will collectively descend into the black pool and drown in it. This means that we will reach the bottom on the descending-ascending arc. The lowest point.
And out of this total blackness will be born the light of a new world, over which will stand the banner of the Divine Leader. “Qa’im” is the Imam’s main nickname, and it is mentioned in the Ahl ul-Bayt hadith even more often than”Mahdi”. The word “Kaim” has many meanings-raising, rising, establishing, fulfilling, standing, existing, straightening.
So, one of the meanings of the word “Kaim” — is standing. Standing where? Standing between qaus nuzul and qaus su’ud, the arc of descent and the arc of ascent. Between dunya and rajaat. With its arrival, the ascent begins up after the descent down. And this is the secret of why it will come exactly when the world is approaching the ultimate point of decomposition.
Imam Sadiq (A) prophesies, “In Rajaat, they will be purified like gold refined in fire, restoring everything to its true essence“. Gold undergoes purification through intense heat, each element returning to its genuine form. Beyond this transformation lie the boundless realms of Heaven and Hell. The descent from truth to falsehood, light to darkness, was gradual, culminating in a profound state of deception. Iblis declares, “I will mislead them, distorting Allah’s creation.” This metaphor of mirrors is striking: when people enter a room filled with curved mirrors, their reflections appear distorted, not because they are inherently flawed but because the mirrors’ shapes warp their images. Creatures, given God’s freedom, inadvertently create a world where their true selves are misrepresented, much like a reflection in a curved mirror.
But after reaching the bottom, the creations begin to return to their base. This is the arrival of the Imam. “Kaim” also means ” straightening one”. The one who initiates the straightening out of things, the return of each thing to its foundation. To their natural, primordial fitrah: “The fitrah of Allah, on which He created mankind” (30: 30). We say “beginning” because then there will be a very long era of Rajaat, when this process will continue and end in the era of the kingdom of Muhammad, followed by the blowing of the trumpet and the general resurrection.
Some hadiths suggest that Qa’im will arrive to avenge injustices and engage in wars. However, it is crucial to remember that the Imam’s mission is not about conflict or bloodshed. He embodies Allah’s all-encompassing mercy and will come to bring justice, light, and knowledge to the world. This transformation is possible only through overcoming the resistance of outdated systems and ideologies. As the saying goes, gold is refined by fire. Allah’s creation ensures that everything happens through cause and effect, not by a simple command.
It’s important to note another significant development: the global spread of Shia Islam. In the past, a small gathering of Shias to mourn Imam Hussein was considered a remarkable act. Today, Shia Islam is present in every city and village worldwide, and its influence will not diminish. The world has reached a point of no return in this regard.
The reasons for this expansion—political, demographic, or technological—are less important than the outcome. The world is now in the final stage of its history, where a universal argument must be resolved.
Similarly, the Nasibi side is more active than ever, with Wahhabis and Nasibis present globally. They instigate violence, hatred, and chaos, creating a polarized world. The Nasib pole is moving towards the emergence of Sufyani, while the banners of Qa’im are also being raised.
When we stated that all faiths and ideologies are dying, we meant all except Shia, the true essence of Islam, and Nasibism, its antithesis.
Decaying Christianity gave rise to a technological world that connected the entire planet. Now, this globalized world is becoming the stage for a struggle between two forces: the banner of Qa’im and the banner of Iblis.
Ibn ‘َAbbaas narrated from the Messenger of Allah (S) about the meaning of the verses of Surah “Sun”: “By the sun and its radiance” — this is the Prophet. “And the month when it follows it” — Ali ibn Abi Talib. “And in the daytime when he discovers it” – Hassan and Hussein. “And at night, when it covers it” – Umayyads. Allah made me a prophet, and I came to the Umayyads and said, ” I am a messenger to you.” They said: “You lied. You are not a messenger.” So I went to the Hashemites and said, ” I am a messenger to you.” And Ali ibn Abi Talib believed in me secretly and openly, and Abu Talib supported me openly and believed secretly. So Allah sent down Gibreel with His banner, and He placed him among the Hashemites. Then He sent Iblis with his banner, and he placed him among the Umayyads. They will never cease to be our enemies, and their Shias will never cease to be the enemies of our Shias, until the Day of Judgment.
This return, this rectification of the Fitrah on the arc of ascent and the grand return, will come through the blood of Husayn (A). I spoke of this in the verses describing the night of Qaim’s birth.
That night a star shone in Samarra,
Its fire outshone the distant lights afar;
Its height reached to the Throne on high,
And light pierced Karbala’s shadow thereby;
Where Muhammad’s heirs were seized and bound,
And Husayn knelt low upon the ground—
On that eve the torrents poured in crimson flood,
And those red streams were forged to a blazing sword of blood.
The streams of sacred blood shed at Karbala became the sword of Kaim, burning in the darkness of that era of creation when ” lies have their time.” So the hadiths say that Allah filled all things with the blood of Husayn: “The earth and all that is in it are filled with your blood, O son of the Messenger of Allah.” In other words, this blood gives the impetus for the return of creatures up to the infinite worlds of Paradise. In one of Husayn’s ziyarats, Imam Sadiq says: “And I bear witness that you are the blood of Allah, and He will take your blood from all creation.” It’s not just such a personal story that someone was killed and their blood will be avenged. The reality is much deeper than that. Revenge for blood is the return of everything to its place, the correction of the mirrors of creation. As I said in the continuation of the same poem:
O avenger of blood! A babe awaits your stride,
His cries have echoed ever since at eventide;
The arrow’s hiss became his lullaby and song,
A bowl of water warped by Harmala’s wrong.
With gentle grin he reached his hands to thee,
For water eased his trembling plea.
I ponder if that barb has pierced your breast,
Or pressed within your soul by pain addressed.
O scion of the finest line on earth,
And daughter born of mothers of true worth!
Two bloods await your vengeance at the door,
And red that stains Karbala’s mournful war.
I feel your patience though your blade does seethe,
It strains against its sheath with fire beneath.
Yet only Heaven’s will can set the goal,
And fate’s appointed hour renew your role;
Amid the meek who don humility’s guise,
Your blade drips martyr’s light before their eyes;
Their gaze like embers, hearts as iron steeled,
They cry, “For Hussein’s blood our oath is sealed!”
Arise at last! For waiting’s shadow wanes,
All creatures’ souls in rapture’s sweet refrains;
A banner flares across the cosmic height,
A flaming sword blazing through the night.
One day, Caliph Harun al-Rashid summoned the seventh Imam, Musa ibn Ja’far al-Qazim, and asked, “To whom does this world belong?” The Imam replied, “He who causes weakness among our Shi’ahs and strife among others.”
Why? Because God has ordained that in this world, creatures should be free to realize their essence through their actions. As we’ve discussed, this is…
Then Harun asked, “Why doesn’t the owner of this world reclaim it?”
The Imam’s answer was profound: “It was taken from him in its prosperous state and will not return to him until it is prosperous again.”
Since Adam, whom God made His caliph, the world has been prosperous under the rule of a Wali, Allah’s Vicegerent. However, oppressors have corrupted it, filling it with lies and evil. But a time will come when it will be returned to its true Master, flourishing and renewed.
The reason for concealing the Imam of our time is both simple and profound. Allah has a plan, and for this plan to unfold, the Imam must remain hidden. This change must be gradual and well-prepared. The universe must mature, and this can only happen after a long period of concealment by its Vicegerent.
The world must reach a stage where it can understand and receive the Imam’s message. Just as a child in the womb needs its organs to fully develop before it can live, the world must mature spiritually.
Numerous hadiths foretell that before the Imam emerges, the world will suffer a period of decline and exhaustion. But when the time is right, he will return to rebuild it.
How do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory views? On one hand, the world must be ready for the Imam’s arrival, and on the other, it must be in complete disarray. The key is that externally, the world must decay, while internally, it must mature. The human world is on the brink of collapse, but within it, the divine program of guidance through the Imam is maturing. This is like a seed that must decay and die before it can sprout and bear fruit.
Our world is gradually rising, reaching the level of the barzakh, the spiritual realm from which it emerged with Adam. When it reaches this stage, the Imam will emerge in all his glory, fulfilling the promise that “it was taken from him in prosperity and will not return to him except in prosperity.”
Imam Sadiq (A) once told his companions, “Hope for what you’ve lost hope for, more than what you already hope for. For Musa ibn Imran (A) set out to bring fire to his family and returned as a prophet and messenger. Just as God arranged the work of His servant and Prophet Musa (A) in a single night, He will do the same for Qayim, the twelfth Imam. He will bring him out of concealment and confusion to the light of victory and deliverance.“
